Dead Man's Cell Phone
| Dead Man's Cell Phone | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Sarah Ruhl |
| Characters | Jean Gordon Mrs. Gottlieb Hermia Dwight The Other Woman/The Stranger |
| Date premiered | June 4, 2007 |
| Place premiered | Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company |
| Original language | English |
Dead Man's Cell Phone is a play by Sarah Ruhl. It explores the paradox of modern technology's ability to both unite and isolate people in the digital age. The play was awarded a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play.
The play premiered at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Washington, D.C. on June 4, 2007, running to July 1, 2007, and was directed by Rebecca Bayla Taichman. This world premiere production was nominated for 7 Helen Hayes Awards.
The play premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on March 4, 2008, and closed on March 30, 2008. It starred Mary Louise Parker (as "Jean") and Kathleen Chalfant (as "Mrs. Gottlieb") and was directed by Anne Bogart.
The play had its UK premiere in June 2011 at The Arches (Glasgow). The production was directed by Stasi Schaeffer.
Act 1
Jean is sitting quietly at a cafe when she becomes increasingly frustrated at the endlessly ringing cellphone on the table next to her. Its owner won't answer it and Jean soon realizes it is because he's dead. In her panic, she begins answering the consistent phone calls, including one from the dead man's mother, and finds out the man's name is Gordon. She sits with him until the ambulance arrives.
Jean attends Gordon's funeral and listens to a eulogy delivered by his rather blunt mother, Mrs. Gottlieb. During the funeral, Jean receives a call from a mysterious woman who asks to meet her. When Jean meets the woman, the woman confesses she was Gordon's mistress and wants to know his last words. In an effort to appease the woman, Jean lies and says Gordon's last words were declarations of love for his mistress. Gordon's cellphone rings and Jean answers. It is Gordon's mother inviting her over to talk.
Mrs. Gottlieb welcomes Jean into her home and begins asking several intrusive and bizarre questions. Jean tries to deflect and ends up pretending she's one of Gordon's co-workers. This alarms Mrs. Gottlied for a moment. When Mrs. Gottlieb begins to get emotional, Jean tries to placate her with another lie about how Gordon called her the day he died because he wanted to talk to her. This wins Jean an invitation back to Mrs. Gottlieb's home that evening for dinner. Jean leaves to grab a few items from the cafe. When Dwight, Gordon's brother, and Hermia, Gordon's widow arrive for dinner, Jean presents them with the cafe items, claiming they are gifts from Gordon. The gift to Mrs. Gottlieb doesn't go over so well and she storms away. When Dwight attempts to serve Jean some roast, she confesses she's a vegetarian and Dwight finds them some caramel popcorn to eat instead. They begin to bond over stories of Gordon and their shared love of stationery. Dwight works at a stationery store and offers to take Jean there.
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